This paper proposes Shoggoth, an efficient edge-cloud collaborative architecture, for boosting inference performance on real-time video of changing scenes. Shoggoth uses online knowledge distillation to improve the accuracy of models suffering from data drift and offloads the labeling process to the cloud, alleviating constrained resources of edge devices. At the edge, we design adaptive training using small batches to adapt models under limited computing power, and adaptive sampling of training frames for robustness and reducing bandwidth. The evaluations on the realistic dataset show 15%-20% model accuracy improvement compared to the edge-only strategy and fewer network costs than the cloud-only strategy.

Suppose we are given access to $n$ independent samples from distribution $\mu$ and we wish to output one of them with the goal of making the output distributed as close as possible to a target distribution $\nu$. In this work we show that the optimal total variation distance as a function of $n$ is given by $\tilde\Theta(\frac{D}{f'(n)})$ over the class of all pairs $\nu,\mu$ with a bounded $f$-divergence $D_f(\nu\|\mu)\leq D$. Previously, this question was studied only for the case when the Radon-Nikodym derivative of $\nu$ with respect to $\mu$ is uniformly bounded. We then consider an application in the seemingly very different field of smoothed online learning, where we show that recent results on the minimax regret and the regret of oracle-efficient algorithms still hold even under relaxed constraints on the adversary (to have bounded $f$-divergence, as opposed to bounded Radon-Nikodym derivative). Finally, we also study efficacy of importance sampling for mean estimates uniform over a function class and compare importance sampling with rejection sampling.

Learning analytics (LA) as a research discipline focuses on multiple perspectives of understanding and supporting educational activities utilizing collected log data. To do so at a national and even international level, educational technology platforms that enable gathering users' interaction traces and digitally generated artifacts must store data in a standardized format. In Japan, the government initiated the GIGA School project in 2020, which installed more than nine million tablet PCs and high-speed Internet access at compulsory education institutions (elemental and middle schools). Such infrastructure enables the collection of educational data and analysis with the aim to improve educational practices in each school. With standardized data logging, it is possible to aggregate data from all schools and to generate educational Big Data that can support evidence-based policy-making and research at a national level.

Distributed online learning is gaining increased traction due to its unique ability to process large-scale datasets and streaming data. To address the growing public awareness and concern on privacy protection, plenty of private distributed online learning algorithms have been proposed, mostly based on differential privacy which has emerged as the ``gold standard" for privacy protection. However, these algorithms often face the dilemma of trading learning accuracy for privacy. By exploiting the unique characteristics of online learning, this paper proposes an approach that tackles the dilemma and ensures both differential privacy and learning accuracy in distributed online learning. More specifically, while ensuring a diminishing expected instantaneous regret, the approach can simultaneously ensure a finite cumulative privacy budget, even on the infinite time horizon. To cater for the fully distributed setting, we adopt the local differential-privacy framework which avoids the reliance on a trusted data curator, and hence, provides stronger protection than the classic ``centralized" (global) differential privacy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first algorithm that successfully ensures both rigorous local differential privacy and learning accuracy. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is evaluated using machine learning tasks, including logistic regression on the ``Mushrooms" and ``Covtype" datasets and CNN based image classification on the ``MNIST" and ``CIFAR-10" datasets.

This paper introduces the Adaptive Learning Path Navigation (ALPN) system, a novel approach for enhancing E-learning platforms by providing highly adaptive learning paths for students. The ALPN system integrates the Attentive Knowledge Tracing (AKT) model, which assesses students' knowledge states, with the proposed Entropy-enhanced Proximal Policy Optimization (EPPO) algorithm. This new algorithm optimizes the recommendation of learning materials. By harmonizing these models, the ALPN system tailors the learning path to students' needs, significantly increasing learning effectiveness. Experimental results demonstrate that the ALPN system outperforms previous research by 8.2% in maximizing learning outcomes and provides a 10.5% higher diversity in generating learning paths. The proposed system marks a significant advancement in adaptive E-learning, potentially transforming the educational landscape in the digital era.

Patients who effectively manage their symptoms often demonstrate higher levels of engagement in conversations and interventions with healthcare practitioners. This engagement is multifaceted, encompassing cognitive and socio-affective dimensions. Consequently, it is crucial for AI systems to understand the engagement in natural conversations between patients and practitioners to better contribute toward patient care. In this paper, we present a novel dataset (MedNgage), which consists of patient-nurse conversations about cancer symptom management. We manually annotate the dataset with a novel framework of categories of patient engagement from two different angles, namely: i) socio-affective (3.1K spans), and ii) cognitive use of language (1.8K Figure 1: Our dataset contains patient-nurse conversations spans). Through statistical analysis of the annotated with engagement derived from socioaffective data that is annotated using our framework, and cognitive use of language. We hypothesize we show a positive correlation between patient that patients who have high engagement tend to symptom management outcomes and their engagement have better symptom control. in conversations.

This article describes and evaluates a new online AI-creativity course. The course is based around three near-state-of-the-art AI models combined into a pop song generating system. A fine-tuned GPT-2 model writes lyrics, Music-VAE composes musical scores and instrumentation and Diffsinger synthesises a singing voice. We explain the decisions made in designing the course which is based on Piagetian, constructivist 'learning-by-doing'. We present details of the five-week course design with learning objectives, technical concepts, and creative and technical activities. We explain how we overcame technical challenges to build a complete pop song generator system, consisting of Python scripts, pre-trained models, and Javascript code that runs in a dockerised Linux container via a web-based IDE. A quantitative analysis of student activity provides evidence on engagement and a benchmark for future improvements. A qualitative analysis of a workshop with experts validated the overall course design, it suggested the need for a stronger creative brief and ethical and legal content.

In this paper, we study the role of feedback in online learning with switching costs. It has been shown that the minimax regret is $\widetilde{\Theta}(T^{2/3})$ under bandit feedback and improves to $\widetilde{\Theta}(\sqrt{T})$ under full-information feedback, where $T$ is the length of the time horizon. However, it remains largely unknown how the amount and type of feedback generally impact regret. To this end, we first consider the setting of bandit learning with extra observations; that is, in addition to the typical bandit feedback, the learner can freely make a total of $B_{\mathrm{ex}}$ extra observations. We fully characterize the minimax regret in this setting, which exhibits an interesting phase-transition phenomenon: when $B_{\mathrm{ex}} = O(T^{2/3})$, the regret remains $\widetilde{\Theta}(T^{2/3})$, but when $B_{\mathrm{ex}} = \Omega(T^{2/3})$, it becomes $\widetilde{\Theta}(T/\sqrt{B_{\mathrm{ex}}})$, which improves as the budget $B_{\mathrm{ex}}$ increases. To design algorithms that can achieve the minimax regret, it is instructive to consider a more general setting where the learner has a budget of $B$ total observations. We fully characterize the minimax regret in this setting as well and show that it is $\widetilde{\Theta}(T/\sqrt{B})$, which scales smoothly with the total budget $B$. Furthermore, we propose a generic algorithmic framework, which enables us to design different learning algorithms that can achieve matching upper bounds for both settings based on the amount and type of feedback. One interesting finding is that while bandit feedback can still guarantee optimal regret when the budget is relatively limited, it no longer suffices to achieve optimal regret when the budget is relatively large.

The success of SGD in deep learning has been ascribed by prior works to the implicit bias induced by high learning rate or small batch size ("SGD noise"). While prior works that focused on offline learning (i.e., multiple-epoch training), we study the impact of SGD noise on online (i.e., single epoch) learning. Through an extensive empirical analysis of image and language data, we demonstrate that large learning rate and small batch size do not confer any implicit bias advantages in online learning. In contrast to offline learning, the benefits of SGD noise in online learning are strictly computational, facilitating larger or more cost-effective gradient steps. Our work suggests that SGD in the online regime can be construed as taking noisy steps along the "golden path" of the noiseless gradient flow algorithm. We provide evidence to support this hypothesis by conducting experiments that reduce SGD noise during training and by measuring the pointwise functional distance between models trained with varying SGD noise levels, but at equivalent loss values. Our findings challenge the prevailing understanding of SGD and offer novel insights into its role in online learning.

Although the prevention of AI vulnerabilities is critical to preserve the safety and privacy of users and businesses, educational tools for robust AI are still underdeveloped worldwide. We present the design, implementation, and assessment of Maestro. Maestro is an effective open-source game-based platform that contributes to the advancement of robust AI education. Maestro provides goal-based scenarios where college students are exposed to challenging life-inspired assignments in a competitive programming environment. We assessed Maestro's influence on students' engagement, motivation, and learning success in robust AI. This work also provides insights into the design features of online learning tools that promote active learning opportunities in the robust AI domain. We analyzed the reflection responses (measured with Likert scales) of 147 undergraduate students using Maestro in two quarterly college courses in AI. According to the results, students who felt the acquisition of new skills in robust AI tended to appreciate highly Maestro and scored highly on material consolidation, curiosity, and mastery in robust AI. Moreover, the leaderboard, our key gamification element in Maestro, has effectively contributed to students' engagement and learning. Results also indicate that Maestro can be effectively adapted to any course length and depth without losing its educational quality.